Trump hosts first dinner for Muslim holiday of Ramadan

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday will host his first White House dinner for Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, an overture that has surprised many people in the Muslim community after he skipped hosting such a meal last year.

The dinner comes as the Supreme Court considers legal challenges to Trump’s travel ban, which critics say unfairly targets some Muslim-majority countries. A ruling is expected as early as this month.

The White House was expected to release a list of attendees ahead of the iftar dinner, which breaks a daylong fast. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she expected about 30-40 people to attend.

Several Muslim civil rights groups pushed back, organizing a “NOT Trump’s Iftar” protest to be held Wednesday evening at a park across from the White House. The groups say Trump’s heated rhetoric has contributed to an increase in bullying and discrimination against Muslim Americans.

During his presidential campaign, Trump called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States. Last year, he drew international criticism for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right group in Britain. And his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was seen by many critics as an unnecessary provocation in the Muslim world.

The White House has defended Trump’s policies as necessary for national security.

Iftar dinners have been held regularly at the White House since the Clinton administration as a form of outreach to the Muslim world. Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President George Bush hosted ambassadors and diplomats in celebration of Ramadan, declaring “evil has no holy days.” President Barack Obama took up the tradition, saying that discriminating against Muslim Americans “feeds the lie” that the West is at war with their religion.

Last year, Trump broke tradition. Instead of hosting a dinner, the White House issued a statement on the Islamic holiday that focused heavily on the threat of terrorism, noting that recent attacks “steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology.”

The White House struck a considerably warmer tone last month, when it released a statement from the president declaring “Ramadan Mubarak,” a common greeting in Islam for a blessed holiday. The statement praised the Constitution for ensuring Muslims can observe the holiday “unimpeded by government” and did not mention terrorism.

“Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life,” the statement said.

The current version of Trump’s travel ban applies to travelers from five countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also affects two non-Muslim countries, blocking travelers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.